Roden Albatros D.I

[GazzaS]

My next aircraft on my list to build is Roden's Albatros D.I in 1/32 scale.  It's a nice kit with only a couple weaknesses that trouble me.  Those troubles inspired me to to address them before I get on to the fun stuff.

 

My first Roden Albatros was a D.III version which turned out like this:

I will tell you the most important difference between a Roden kit and a WNW kit.  If you were to build both OOB with no modifications and perform a barrel roll with each, the Roden kit will most likely lose it's upper wing.  That is because the gluing surface on the Roden struts is so much smaller than on a WNW kit.  This caused me much heartache while completing the D.III.

 

So, on my next Roden build I decided I would start by reworking the struts first.  Unfortunately, none of my brass or copper tube was the right size to flatten into nice struts.  So, I tried a couple other methods with metal parts, but found that they would take longer than I wanted to invest.  So, I decided to modify the existing parts with some brass .5mm rod.

I used various scribing tools and small files to make the troughs.  I ran out of time. but will complete filling in around the rod with black CA then sand smooth.  BTW...  Roden plastic is a bit softer than WNW plastic so the LG struts are a bit wobbly.  I will pin them at the top before I glue them to the fuselage after I have modified the joint angle appropriately.

 

Otherwise....  this should be an enjoyable build.

 

Happy Modelling!

 

Gaz

[Bomber_County]

pulling up a chair Gaz......

[Kaireckstadt]

6 hours ago, GazzaS said:

My next aircraft on my list to build is Roden's Albatros D.I in 1/32 scale.  It's a nice kit with only a couple weaknesses that trouble me.  Those troubles inspired me to to address them before I get on to the fun stuff.

 

My first Roden Albatros was a D.III version which turned out like this:

I will tell you the most important difference between a Roden kit and a WNW kit.  If you were to build both OOB with no modifications and perform a barrel roll with each, the Roden kit will most likely lose it's upper wing.  That is because the gluing surface on the Roden struts is so much smaller than on a WNW kit.  This caused me much heartache while completing the D.III.

 

So, on my next Roden build I decided I would start by reworking the struts first.  Unfortunately, none of my brass or copper tube was the right size to flatten into nice struts.  So, I tried a couple other methods with metal parts, but found that they would take longer than I wanted to invest.  So, I decided to modify the existing parts with some brass .5mm rod.

I used various scribing tools and small files to make the troughs.  I ran out of time. but will complete filling in around the rod with black CA then sand smooth.  BTW...  Roden plastic is a bit softer than WNW plastic so the LG struts are a bit wobbly.  I will pin them at the top before I glue them to the fuselage after I have modified the joint angle appropriately.

 

Otherwise....  this should be an enjoyable build.

 

Happy Modelling!

 

Gaz

Wow, nice start with your strut-strengthening! 
Will sit back and enjoy your posts. 
 

BTW: Beautiful looking Albatros D.III ! 

[GazzaS]

15 hours ago, Bomber_County said:

pulling up a chair Gaz......

 

13 hours ago, Kaireckstadt said:

Wow, nice start with your strut-strengthening! 
Will sit back and enjoy your posts. 
 

BTW: Beautiful looking Albatros D.III ! 

Glad to have you both along!  Thank you!

[DocRob]

Interesting approach to reinforce the struts, Gaz. The 0,5 mm brass rod should enhance the stability a lot. To carve the plastic struts must have been a little unnerving, without breaking these fragile parts. 
I also like the general approach, as to work on the areas of most concern first. To me this is the dealbreaker, if I find solutions for the main issues, I can go on.

Cheers Rob

[Jeff]

I'm in too, front row seat as well...

[Bomber_County]

4 hours ago, Jeff said:

I'm in too, front row seat as well...

Sorry Jeff the front row is full.................

[Jeff]

2 hours ago, Bomber_County said:

Sorry Jeff the front row is full.................

Ok, Phil... no worries, I will be the guy sitting  BEHIND you breathing beer and popcorn breath  over your shoulder watch out when I burp tho !!

[Peterpools]

Gaz

Great approach to the struts - nerves of steel for sure. I'm pulling up a seat for the build and leaving a big tip for good seating

Keep 'em comin

Peter

[GazzaS]

Thank you all for all of the kind, interested responses.

We never did a proper initiation for this build.  Here is the box art:

For a "not so good kit" and for the fact that there weren't many D.I's operational, you get four schemes to build.

You can see two here with some of the assembled internal components.

Dunno how well you can see the cushion, but I modified it using scribing tools to put in the stress lines between the buttons.

Unfortunately both wings were warped a bit causing some nasty anhedral.  I made some grooves on the inside of the lower wing section and cold-bended the anhedral out.  For the upper wing I used clamps and a hair dryer.  I also attached both ailerons using three brass pins in each.  Should be all right.  It's been in myu stash for a while and I may have repacked everything wrong.

 

Finally, the reinforced struts...  all painted in a very faint feldgrau.  I may change the color a bit.  I know weathering will add some variations.

 

But damn!  It feels good to be working on an Albatros.  After so much time with D.III and D.V's, the wide chord of the lower wing feels quite strange.  But cool, nevertheless.

 

Happy modelling!

[Jeff]

second row..... 

[Peterpools]

Gaz

Great start and ‘no joy’ for sure having to deal with all these issues right out of the box. Looking good with paint and a sign of a gem in the making

Keep ‘em comin

Peter

[GazzaS]

Thank you, Guys!

     I didn't get as much done this weekend as I'd liked.  A few things to do, then my lovely granddaughter spent the night Saturday.  So, between taking the dog to the chiropractor and cuddles...  I only had a few hours today.

 

Today's work was mostly on the engine.  There were a few sink marks to fill...  hard to miss as the black CA shows the way:

The exhaust and the strange looking piece above it are only pinned on.  Interestingly this engine has spark plugs molded on.  And...  the rocker cover and springs are AM...  so much more detailed than the kit rocker.

I also lagged the magneto pipes after thinning them substantially.  I used cigarette paper as the lagging tape.

I worked on other interior components as well.  I tried to get that scalloped look on the ammo boxes.  It didn't quite pan out.  Next time I might foil the boxes first and then try something else.  Because Molotow chrome pen over Alclad doesn't cut the mustard.

There is another problem I have.  That problem is the color orange.  Idfleig (Inspektion der Fliegertruppen - "Inspectorate of Flying Troops") directed that that yellow stain was to be used on the Albatros fighters.  Remember all of those Dark wood Albatros profiles in books in the 80's?  Learning about the effects of orthochromatic film made a lot of models and pictures instantly 'wrong'.

But it is really hard to get right.  Believe it or not, I made four different attempts on my paint hack.   And I'm still not sure...  but I want to try.  This effort is very light brown followed by other steps.  The brown is so light that it is hard to distinguish from pink.  Then the wood grain was marked in with colored pencils...  then blended with varying success.  Then sprayed with Tamiya clear yellow thinned 50/50.  Finally, a brown filter gives the results shown.

Tamiya yellow is very powerful.  Any hint of yellow in your base paint just makes it worse.

 

Anyway...  the weekend is over.   Have a great modelling week, my friends!

[Kaireckstadt]

4 hours ago, GazzaS said:

Thank you, Guys!

     I didn't get as much done this weekend as I'd liked.  A few things to do, then my lovely granddaughter spent the night Saturday.  So, between taking the dog to the chiropractor and cuddles...  I only had a few hours today.

 

Today's work was mostly on the engine.  There were a few sink marks to fill...  hard to miss as the black CA shows the way:

The exhaust and the strange looking piece above it are only pinned on.  Interestingly this engine has spark plugs molded on.  And...  the rocker cover and springs are AM...  so much more detailed than the kit rocker.

I also lagged the magneto pipes after thinning them substantially.  I used cigarette paper as the lagging tape.

I worked on other interior components as well.  I tried to get that scalloped look on the ammo boxes.  It didn't quite pan out.  Next time I might foil the boxes first and then try something else.  Because Molotow chrome pen over Alclad doesn't cut the mustard.

There is another problem I have.  That problem is the color orange.  Idfleig (Inspektion der Fliegertruppen - "Inspectorate of Flying Troops") directed that that yellow stain was to be used on the Albatros fighters.  Remember all of those Dark wood Albatros profiles in books in the 80's?  Learning about the effects of orthochromatic film made a lot of models and pictures instantly 'wrong'.

But it is really hard to get right.  Believe it or not, I made four different attempts on my paint hack.   And I'm still not sure...  but I want to try.  This effort is very light brown followed by other steps.  The brown is so light that it is hard to distinguish from pink.  Then the wood grain was marked in with colored pencils...  then blended with varying success.  Then sprayed with Tamiya clear yellow thinned 50/50.  Finally, a brown filter gives the results shown.

Tamiya yellow is very powerful.  Any hint of yellow in your base paint just makes it worse.

 

Anyway...  the weekend is over.   Have a great modelling week, my friends!

Beautiful start on the Albatros Gaz!

The engine looks really great with the AM stuff! Clever idea to use cigarette paper as lagging tape!

The scalloped look of the ammo boxes doesn’t look that bad. 
A friend of mine who build a Fokker EIII did this by painting a typical pattern on an Alclad base with pale metallic grey color applied with a fine brush. Maybe you can give it a try...

Your attempt regarding the idflieg orange doesn’t look that bad either. Do you have a picture real color on wood?

All in all an awesome start Gaz!

Can‘t wait to see the next update!

Kai

 

 

[Bomber_County]

4 hours ago, GazzaS said:

Thank you, Guys!

     I didn't get as much done this weekend as I'd liked.  A few 

For not a lot of time, you got a lot done........looking great as ever, never built Roden .........

[DocRob]

The engine will look great Gaz, as the rockers and springs are very visible, it's a great enhancement. 
I had the same idea in my head concerning the Molotow chrome pens on AK's Extreme metal in my case. Thanks for the warning, I will try other solutions, maybe with Molotows masking pens on aluminum base and then sprayed on another tone. Another test would be the use of the AK pencils on an aluminum base layer.
The wood looks good to me, albeit very light, indeed. When I made my first tests with woodgrain replicated with oils, I got a better result using AK's crystal orange, than Tamiya clear yellow and orange. The AK tone is less intense and dries more matte

The upper third on the pic is Chrystal orange from AK, the middle is Tamiya's clear yellow and the bottom part is Tamiya's clear orange, all applied with a brush.
The AK Crystal orange is my favorite, because it dries with a silky surface, where the Tamiya clears have a high gloss finish. The AK orange is also easier to apply, because it is thinner and doesn't tend to puddle.  

There is my wooden  test Panther hull

Cheers Rob

 

[GazzaS]

15 hours ago, Kaireckstadt said:

Do you have a picture real color on wood?

All in all an awesome start Gaz!

Can‘t wait to see the next update!

Kai

 

 

Thank you Kai!

Were you wanting a picture of the Tamiya yellow on plain wood, or were you asking for pictures of the real thing? 

I have contemplated trying to find images of real cockpits from the period.  However...  here is the problem.  Many stained woods darken with age.  In 100 hundred plus years huge difference could occur.   So, even if we found an un-restored Albatros...  the color of the wood would be deceiving.

15 hours ago, Bomber_County said:

For not a lot of time, you got a lot done........looking great as ever, never built Roden .........

Thank you. Phil!  Much of the building was done over time.  All I really accomplished this weekend was the upper-engine work.

15 hours ago, DocRob said:

The engine will look great Gaz, as the rockers and springs are very visible, it's a great enhancement. 
I had the same idea in my head concerning the Molotow chrome pens on AK's Extreme metal in my case. Thanks for the warning, I will try other solutions, maybe with Molotows masking pens on aluminum base and then sprayed on another tone. Another test would be the use of the AK pencils on an aluminum base layer.
The wood looks good to me, albeit very light, indeed. When I made my first tests with woodgrain replicated with oils, I got a better result using AK's crystal orange, than Tamiya clear yellow and orange. The AK tone is less intense and dries more matte

The upper third on the pic is Chrystal orange from AK, the middle is Tamiya's clear yellow and the bottom part is Tamiya's clear orange, all applied with a brush.
The AK Crystal orange is my favorite, because it dries with a silky surface, where the Tamiya clears have a high gloss finish. The AK orange is also easier to apply, because it is thinner and doesn't tend to puddle.  

There is my wooden  test Panther hull

Cheers Rob

 

Rob,

    Thank you!  I will look at the AK colors.  FWIW...  the color I want is that yellow stripe going right down the center of your test area in the upper zone as it appears.  I am just about out of Tamiya clear yellow.   So, it may be perfect time to try the AK.

[Kaireckstadt]

1 hour ago, GazzaS said:

Thank you Kai!

Were you wanting a picture of the Tamiya yellow on plain wood, or were you asking for pictures of the real thing? 

I have contemplated trying to find images of real cockpits from the period.  However...  here is the problem.  Many stained woods darken with age.  In 100 hundred plus years huge difference could occur.   So, even if we found an un-restored Albatros...  the color of the wood would be deceiving.

Thank you. Phil!  Much of the building was done over time.  All I really accomplished this weekend was the upper-engine work.

Rob,

    Thank you!  I will look at the AK colors.  FWIW...  the color I want is that yellow stripe going right down the center of your test area in the upper zone as it appears.  I am just about out of Tamiya clear yellow.   So, it may be perfect time to try the AK.

Gaz

I wanted a picture of the Tamiya yellow on plain wood. So that’s exactly what Rob showed. @Rob: Thanks for the foto and description! 

Did you try the tipp with the scalloped look of the ammo-boxes?

Kai

 

[GazzaS]

29 minutes ago, Kaireckstadt said:

 

Did you try the tip with the scalloped look of the ammo-boxes?

 

 

Not yet.  I spent a little modelling time with the StuG figures after work.  Will try some stuff on my paint hack when I have a little time.

[DocRob]

8 hours ago, GazzaS said:

Thank you!  I will look at the AK colors.  FWIW...  the color I want is that yellow stripe going right down the center of your test area in the upper zone as it appears.  I am just about out of Tamiya clear yellow.   So, it may be perfect time to try the AK.

I wouldn't throw away my Tamiya clear colors, as they are better suited for painting clear parts, than the AK clears. For wood finishes, I prefer AK, except for newish deep toned wood effects. AK has no clear yellow, but clear orange is very yellowish. 

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

I built two SSW's in 48 scale and used different wood finishes on both of them. The upper is AK's crystal orange, the lower is Tamiya's clear orange, both applied with a brush.

Thinking about the ammo boxes and my hopefully soon to build Fokker E.II, it might be possible to recreate the two tone metallic look with hairspray technique. When time comes, I will try the mentioned methods.

Cheers Rob

[GazzaS]

14 hours ago, DocRob said:

I built two SSW's in 48 scale and used different wood finishes on both of them. The upper is AK's crystal orange, the lower is Tamiya's clear orange, both applied with a brush.

Thinking about the ammo boxes and my hopefully soon to build Fokker E.II, it might be possible to recreate the two tone metallic look with hairspray technique. When time comes, I will try the mentioned methods.

Cheers Rob

Thank you for the info!  The Tamiya clears are just too potent...  or whatever the correct phrase is for too-color-intense.  Truly, the best use I found for Tamiya orange is to "stain" the frame area of the base for my Großer Kurfürst base.  It is true...  if you mix blue and orange, you do get brown...  but again...  too strong.

[Peterpools]

Gaz

Holy Cow - brilliant work. Enjoying following your progresss.

Keep 'em comin

Peter

[SapperSix]

Good job as always Gaz.  Thanks for the wood working testing.  I will be needing that information pretty quick here.  The completed Albatross is a fine looking model.  I would gladly fly it around the room making airplane noises.  Looking forward to more on this build. 

[GazzaS]

7 hours ago, Peterpools said:

Gaz

Holy Cow - brilliant work. Enjoying following your progresss.

Keep 'em comin

Peter

 

4 hours ago, SapperSix said:

Good job as always Gaz.  Thanks for the wood working testing.  I will be needing that information pretty quick here.  The completed Albatross is a fine looking model.  I would gladly fly it around the room making airplane noises.  Looking forward to more on this build. 

Thank you, Guys!